Wednesday, 19 February 2025

 Richard WELCH (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:00): (1421) Many times I have been in the electorate and I would have community members – ordinary, everyday people – come up and clasp my hand and say, ‘Don’t forget us.’ What is meant by that is that their genuine concern is that once people get elected and once we enter the political bubble, their experiences, the concerns of everyday Victorians, recede from view, that in practice we cease to feel their lived experience, let alone addressing their needs – ‘Don’t forget us.’

This adjournment is to seek an action from the Premier, but the subtext is for my community, for those people who have clasped my hand and looked me square in the eye and said, ‘Don’t forget us.’ This is very much for them too. This is about crime in your area, crime ruining lives across your state and for your family. I can rattle off any number of statistics. This chamber is awash with empirical evidence of the crisis we have. But the people out there do not need statistics. They know from experience. They suffer and they carry the scars – the young man who was accosted in his car and now feels something is broken inside him; the frustration of a young woman who told me she was afraid to walk to the gym alone; families who have had break-ins at night, forever scarring those families, and for whom from that moment on every bump in the night is to relive a nightmare; the shopkeeper I spoke to, a woman losing stock, losing trade and losing the will to fight when there is no civil support at all but plenty of tax, tax, tax – ‘Don’t forget me,’ she said. The welding company I visited, who had to lay people off because they were ramraided three times in two months and lost vital equipment – ‘Mate, don’t forget us.’ The elderly couple I know who literally dread going down to their local shopping strip – the husband said he was ashamed that he could not protect himself or his wife. He said, ‘I know you’re busy, Richard, but don’t forget us.’ The families that lost a family member because they resisted or were hit by a fleeing car – don’t you see what is happening? What are you going to do? Are you going to stand by and let it happen again? Walk any street and you will be told, ‘Oh, yes, the neighbours had their car stolen last week, across the road they had a break-in and we had a group of youths in our driveway at 3 am. Thank God they didn’t get in.’

I have not forgotten you, any of you. The action I seek from the Premier is to remember the people she has forgotten and change the bail laws now. Do not review. Do not do a heartfelt press conference that means nothing. Do not blather on about any other meaningless promise. Do not talk – for God’s sake, act.